§ Q6.Mrs. Peacockasked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 25 June.
§ The Prime MinisterI refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.
§ Mrs. PeacockIs my right hon. Friend aware that the recently published report of the Select Committee on Employment is the report of the Opposition Chairman, supported by Labour Members, and not supported by Conservative Members, as at no time during the giving of evidence did Mr. Scargill condemn the nature—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. This is a bad habit, because that matter is not the Prime Minister's responsibility.
§ Q7.Mr. Wareingasked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 25 June.
§ The Prime MinisterI refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.
§ Mr. WareingAs the Transport Bill is now in another place, would the Prime Minister care to inform this House of the name of just one country in the developed world where the deregulation of transport and the sort of regime that the Bill envisages exists?
§ The Prime MinisterI do not know of any country that has had the system that we are trying to get rid of, under which subsidies have increased and passengers decreased.
§ Mr. ColvinFurther to the earlier question from the hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Mr. Beith), will my right hon. Friend take time today to remind the House that if it had not been for the Lib-Lab pact in 1977 the aircraft and shipbuilding industries would never have been nationalised in the first place?
§ The Prime MinisterI thank my hon. Friend for putting his point so cogently.
§ Q8.Mr. Chris Smithasked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 25 June.
§ The Prime MinisterI refer the hon Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.
§ Mr. SmithWill the Prime Minister tell the House whether her Government have now made up their mind whether the best recipe for the British economy lies in greater public spending or more cuts and tax cuts? Which side of the Cabinet is winning?
§ The Prime MinisterThe hon. Gentleman should be aware that the Government believe in the control of public expenditure, as do almost every Government in power, because they have to. Perhaps the hon. Gentleman will never have the experience of being in power, so e will never know that fundamental fact. Only if we control public expenditure and have the type of growth that we have had during the past few years can we cut tax. Had we kept the present amount of tax and the structure of income tax that existed under the Labour Government, the average family would be paying £260 more in tax than it is now.